Tag Archives: purple martins

Birding Trips and Tours North Carolina, Field Notes

Purple Martins at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation

For sure, one of the most beautiful birds we’ve got flying around during the springtime here in NC is the Purple Martin.
Now that the breeding season is underway, they are a familiar sight flying over the open fields in search of a meal.
I found this small flock while leading a birding photography class at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh yesterday morning.



Purple Martins are one of the easiest species of Swallow to ID. At 8.7 in long from beak tail with a wingspan of up to 15in, they are the largest species of swallow in the US.
Their glossy black feathers have a violet iridescent color quality which caused by the refraction of incident light. This gives them a bright blue or deep purple appearance depending on the angle and quality of the sunlight reflecting off of their plumage.



Purple Martins are colony cavity nesters but because they are unable to excavate their own nesting holes, these birds rely almost completely on man-made housing for nesting and reproduction.
For this reason, providing specialized nesting boxes (gourd shaped) for these birds is very important the growth of the species.


To entice flocks of Purple Martins to nest on your own property, their houses should be placed in the most open areas of your yard.
It’s best to set up the bird houses away from trees too as this allows the birds plenty of room to swoop and dive after insects without obstruction.
As new generations of Martins are raised, the growing flock will return to your backyard nesting setup year after year.

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the full frame beast of an SLR, the mighty @canonusa
#5Ds

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Purple Martin nest box advice

A lovely female Purple Martin surveys her kingdom from high atop her perch at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, N.C.
Getting purple martins to accept a new martin house can be challenging.
Sometimes several years may pass before you may reach the goal of attracting the desired residents. Or maybe you might succeed the first day the house is up!
Birds. Ya, they’re like that, lol!
Here’s an idea that may help.
Don’t put your martin house up until four to six weeks after the first purple martins arrive. Or if it’s already in place, keep the holes plugged until then, to exclude starlings and sparrows. The goal is that you’re trying to attract young purple martins who are still open to the idea of raising their families someplace new.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Long distance love for purple martins in North Carolina

A fierce looking male Purple Martin giving me the alpha glare while birding at Yates Mill Park in Raleigh, NC.
It’s neat that these birds migrate so far south for the winter and return every spring to same breeding location year after year. Makes me wonder if there’s a record out there for the longest generation of Purple Martens using a particular nesting spot in the US.
Purple Martins are fascinating little birds.
Long distance migration is par for the course and before too long, they’ll leave N.C. to head south for tropical destinations such as like Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.
In late summer, they’ll gather in huge roosts in preparation for their fall migration.
One of the best places to view this spectacle is in Manns Harbor, North Carolina, on the OBX, where an estimated 100,000 birds – arriving from hundreds of miles away – to rest underneath the Umstead Bridge.

Photo by @sally_siko
Canon 5DS 200mm

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A once in a lifetime experience, North Carolina bird conservation with Adam Betuel

Check out this months featured tour guide, Adam Betuel of Teal Birding’s story of how a summer studying Purple Martins in Manteo, N.C. kick started his ornithological career.
Here’s an excerpt from the blog post titled “Fledging on Roanoke Island“….
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“My work schedule had me at the roost at dawn and dusk but most of the rest of my days were free to explore. I became very familiar with Pea Island, Alligator River, and the local bird watching store. Life birds flooded in for this Midwestern boy ranging from Red-cockaded Woodpeckers to Brown-headed Nuthatches and Piping Plovers.
A day spent on the ocean with the famous Brian Patterson was a true highlight and I think internally it convinced me that I had reached full bird nerd status. I made great friends with local birders, the family that hosted me, and colleagues that allowed me to spend lazy evenings with them out in Columbia under their martin gourds. It was an experience of a lifetime. “
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In addition to serving as the Conservation director of the Atlanta Audubon Society, Adam Betuel is also the President of Teal Birding Tours.
If you’re searching for someone to deliver your own birding experience of a lifetime, contact Adam to find out more about his upcoming trips. (He’s got one coming up soon in Paraguay!!!)

When you get back home share your awesome photos with us!

Continue reading about Adam’s adventures in Manteo, North Carolina here….